This is one of Trisha Ashley’s early novels previously published as Happy Endings, the author has made some little tweaks, but overall the story is very much as she originally published it.
This is the story of Tina Devino who whilst a published author herself in the ‘midlist’ range according to some, offers her advice to other budding authors for a small fee.
If she wants to break into the bestseller lists then she is going to have to do some of the hard work herself. She knows she is not the buxom blonde face of an author that her publisher wants to promote, even less when she discovers the man behind the publication of her next book is her ex husband Tim.
When a chance meeting with a good-looking stranger turns into better news and a new agent, Tina starts to write stories which start to get her noticed. Also what helps of course is being the girlfriend of a well-known Russian ballet dancer, Sergei. But his needs appear to be great and when Tina is not looking someone else in a butterfly mask swoops in to take its prey.
Nothing seems to be going right for Tina, her love life, her friendships and even her work. Surely the knotted mess of it all can be untangled and Tina can find the right path for her heart once again.
For me this is a passable read and one of the author’s early works, there are a few too many loose ends for me. I enjoyed the letter from budding authors, which interspersed this novel and probably gave a frightening insight to what people might possibly read or write. But the main storyline did peter out and there was no great conclusion which neither left me satisfied or wished there was a sequel.
If you are a fan of Trisha Ashley then you will enjoy the novel, not the strongest of her oeuvre but there was something about it that made me think – could it possibly be part autobiographical……..?
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.
Written from the Heart is out now.
Having just checked my Goodreads list and cross checked with Fantastic Fiction – it would seem that the only one I have left to read is Lord Rayven’s Revenge apart from any new books out – which I believe could be around October – yippee!
The Book Jotter 